1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to disk drives, and in particular to a connector for testing disk drives in a high volume manufacturing environment and a method of using the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Moving magnetic storage devices, especially magnetic disk drives, are the memory devices of choice. This is due to their expanded non-volatile memory storage capability combined with a relatively low cost.
Magnetic disk drives are information storage devices which utilize at least one rotatable magnetic media disk having concentric data tracks defined for storing data, a magnetic recording head or transducer for reading data from and/or writing data to the various data tracks, a slider for supporting the transducer in proximity to the data tracks typically in a flying mode above the storage media, a suspension assembly for resiliently supporting the slider and the transducer over the data tracks, and a positioning actuator coupled to the transducer/slider/suspension combination for moving the transducer across the media to the desired data track and maintaining the transducer over the data track center line during a read or a write operation. The transducer is attached to or is formed integrally with the slider which supports the transducer above the data surface of the storage disk by a cushion of air, referred to as an air-bearing, generated by the rotating disk.
Alternatively, the transducer may operate in contact with the surface of the disk. Thus, the suspension provides desired slider loading and dimensional stability between the slider and an actuator arm which couples the transducer/slider/suspension assembly to the actuator. The actuator positions the transducer over the correct track according to the data desired on a read operation or to the correct track for placement of the data during a write operation. The actuator is controlled to position the transducer over the desired data track by shifting the combination assembly across the surface of the disk in a direction generally transverse to the data tracks. The actuator may include a single arm extending from a pivot point, or alternatively a plurality of arms arranged in a comb-like fashion extending from a pivot point. A rotary voice coil motor (vcm) is attached to the rear portion of the actuator arm or arms to power movement of the actuator over the disks.
The vcm located at the rear portion of the actuator arm is comprised of a top plate spaced above a bottom plate with a magnet or pair of magnets therebetween. The vcm further includes an electrically conductive coil disposed within the rearward extension of the actuator arm and between the top and bottom plates, while overlying the magnet in a plane parallel to the magnet. In operation, current passes through the coil and interacts with the magnetic field of the magnet so as to rotate the actuator arm around its pivot and thus positioning the transducer as desired.
The magnetic media disk or disks in the disk drive are mounted to a spindle. The spindle is attached to a spindle motor which rotates the spindle and the disks to provide read/write access to the various portions on the concentric tracks on the disks.
One or more electrical conductors extend over the suspension assembly to electrically connect the read/write transducer to a read/write chip on the actuator arm. A multiline flexible printed circuit cable (actuator flex cable) provides the electrical contact between the read/write chip and the disk drive electronics which are mounted outside the disk drive housing. Inside the disk drive housing, the actuator flex cable connects to an electrical connector pin assembly, which in turn, through an opening or connector port in the housing, connects to the external electronics.
The trend in magnetic disk drive development is towar higher data storage density in smaller, more compact packages. As components become smaller, much smaller connectors must be used to provide electrical connections to the disk drive from the external electronics. These small connectors have a large number of contacts and therefore very small pitch, or distance between each contact. This miniaturization of the connectors presents serious problems for electrical testing of the disk drive during manufacturing. In current high volume disk drive manufacturing lines, a variety of electrical tests on the disk drives are carried out at many stations on the line. Electrical connections to the contacts on the connectors are made with spring-loaded pins (pogo pins) using automated tools. As the connectors decrease in size, the decreased contact pitch results in electrical shorts to test equipment due to pogo pin design limitations, and due to increased problems with alignment of the automated tooling to make reliable contacts to the connectors. These problems lead to decreased test reliability, decreased manufacturing yield and ultimately increased manufacturing cost. In addition, the connector is also subject to numerous tests in the manufacturing line. By the time the disk drive passes this suite of tests, there may actually be quite a bit of damage (such as indentations or scratches) to the connector which can result in problems once the disk drive is out in the field.
It therefore can be seen that there is a need for an apparatus and method for reliably making electrical connection on connectors having small pitch between contacts that is suitable for electrical testing by automated equipment in a high volume manufacturing environment. Further, there is a need for a contacting apparatus and method that can be easily adapted for use with a variety of connectors used in disk drive products without the need for costly test fixture redesign.